The form has changed, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly – the creature’s life is the same but the purpose and look are different. The beauty has a divergent style, flow, energy, production. Change is inevitable. It happens to everyone. And hopefully, it does so for you in delightful and exploratory new ways. Black Project: Spontaneous and Wild Ales embraced their metamorphosis, by way of GABF awards and diving deeper into their niche passion. They occupy South Broadway in the same place after shedding the skin of Former Future Brewing for a new and “secret” venture. Now, something predominately sour remains, let’s explore.

The ambiance of Black Project is simple with old school bar chairs lined up and black paint accenting the corners and walls. There is a taproom-length-bar illuminated by the bright sunlight. On the wall facing the bar “Embrace Good Taste” is written in thick black and gold letters. There isn’t anything serious about this scene. Only the beer.

My friend Nick and I sat down by the beer taps and started talking to Sarah. She explained that the origin of Black Project: Spontaneous and Wild Ales was derived from her husband James’ successful side venture during their Former Future days and it is an itch that James and her needed to scratch. I can appreciate that sentiment. The Denver Hopper is a salve for a cut I failed to take care of – James and Sarah were faster at fixing what they needed. We should all be attuned to our environments and needs.

They brew on a small four-barrel brewing system but have 100 wooden barrels in a temperature controlled room. They can’t whirl up as many yummy sours and goses in the summer because the temperature at night is too high. That adds a limited edition feel everything they make. Instead, they brew their Imperial stout called Tom Cat and others to get variety in the mix. The batch of sour beer is left in the open air over night to allow for all the natural microbes to join the wort. It is perfectly safe and adds rich complexity to those tasty beverages you are looking for. Every batch is different. Every new creation takes on it’s on a life of its’ own.

We also had a beer called Cyngus. It was a mixture of 1,2 and 3-year-old beers that are served at cellar temperature. My world took pause when I sipped the smooth but mighty drink. The feel of the beer was different. It sat on the front of the tongue and coated my mouth differently than most brews. They only bottle this beer but I think you should run by and grab one and explore the unknown.

Black Project: Spontaneous and Wild Ales is a brewery for the adventurous beer drinking Colorado resident and for the connoisseur of refined sours and Goses. But they aren’t taking the life too seriously or being pretentious about these, unique fermented elixirs. Sarah explained that it all a bit of a joke about the exclusivity that can envelop craft beer culture. Black Project pokes fun at the concept of being a beer snob or secret brewing societies. Instead of excluding people, they are helping patrons experience something you can only get in a beer scene like Denver’s and having fun while they are at it. They are helping us all change our tastes in glorious new ways. -The Denver Hopper